Voice unheard, buried in a tomb of silence. And words unspoken laid silently on my tongue.”
Jess
Are you Tired Yet?
When is enough really enough? What has to take place before you reach the point of breaking your silence? The observation of women, men, the young, and the old owning their truth is not secret in 2020. I continue to see a common denominator on our social media, and daily news channels are the American people using their voice for change. A change in political views, our democracy, our human rights, our cultural bias, the educational system, corporate ladders, women’s reproductive choices, and more times than I’d like to mention, the right to live. The list is endless.
Seize Your Opportunity
It’s difficult to avoid the pressure to find your place in it all. For me, that was the case. My silence was deafening, so loud that I could not hear anything else around. As much as I preached to the Co-Heirs who participated in the book club conversations biweekly, I had to take my advice and do what I was requesting of them.
The truth is, I did not want to be on the outskirts of the conversation; I refused to miss my opportunity to speak up no matter the perspectives of others. I, Jessica Renee Ledbetter, owed it to myself to advocate for myself. This moment was not just about me. Sharing my story was my test to past, a hard pill to swallow, my deliberate stance against the system, my declared change long overdue. This move would be for those to come and a tribute to those who had gone.
Take Action
Several keystrokes later and countless re-reads led me to the longest minute of my life–submitting a 6-page letter. The Covid-19 crisis no only disrupted America in ways we’ve never seen before, but it also disrupted my silence. This letter was an address to Human Resources, in an attempt to share my frustrations, the unauthorized removal of my joy, my ongoing unjust reality as a black woman in Corporate America.
I was not sure what I wanted, but I felt positive that I longed for something better than this. I was fighting for the right to be treated equal, but equal to what? Who gets to decide?
